Mine-door.



MINE DOOR.

APPLICATION HLED AUG. I5. I91].

Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

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MINE DOOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1917.

J. J. BODY, M. L. JOHNSON, C. F. KILGORE & A. BLEVINS.

MINE DOOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15. I9I7.

Patented Feb. 5, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 vaflom (aux-man a N QM ANE A mk gw Quin mos f AW JOSEPH J. BODY AND MASON L. JOHNSON, F DANTE, AND

ALONZO BLEVINS, OF COEIBURN, VIRGINIA,

or DANTE, VIRGINIA.

CHARLES E. KILGORE AND ASSIGNORS OF ONE-FIFTH TO LEE LONG",

MINE-DOOR.

Application filed. August 15, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, (1) JOSEPH J. Bony, (2) Mason L. JoI-INsoN, (3) CHARLES F.

Kncsonn, and (4-) ALoNzo BLtvI s, citizens of the Unlted States, residing at (1 and 2) Dante, in the county of Russell, State of Virginia, and (3 and Coeburn, in the county of Wise, State of Virginia, have invented certain new and; useful improvements in Mine-Doors; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventiom such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the san1e.-

Our invention relates to improvements in mine doors and has for its object to provide a simply constructed and-inexpensive door of this class which will be opened automatically by a car passing throughthe tunnel, the arrangement being such that the door will be opened in the direction in which the car is traveling, afterrwhi'ch it will return to its closed position and be locked in this position.

With the foregoing general object in view, the invention resides inccertain novel features of construction and. unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the door operating mechanism;

Fig; 2 is a vertical transverse section on the plane of line 2-2, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation;

Fig. l is a longitudinal section on the plane of line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view similar. to Fig. l showing the depressible rails forced downwardly by a car thereon to open the door; Fig. 6 is a detail vertical section on the plane of the line 66 of Fig. 4t;

Fig. 7 is a detail longitudinal section through one joint of the depressible rails;

Figs. 8 and 9 are detail longitudinal sections on the planesof the lines 8-8 and 99 of'Fig. 1, respectively; and

Fig. 10 is a detail horizontal section on V the plane indicated by the line 10-10 of 2. I g In the drawlngs above briefly described, the numeral 1 has reference to a mine tun Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 5, 1912. Serial No. 186,389.

nel through which a railway track passes, said track including the usual rails 2. A door is provided across the track, said door including a pair of horizontal swinging sections dpreferably formed of wooden frames 4: and metal panels 5 nailed thereto as shown in Fig. 10, so that the action of the air against these panels will not loosen the nails, regardless of the direction in which the door swings. 011 one side of the door, the space between the latter and the wall of the tunnel is closed as shown at 6, whereas a man door 7 is provided at the opposite side so that the miners may pass through the tunnel without opening the door sections 3, both of these sections being so located as to prevent opening thereof by any means other than a car passing along the track. Any suitable latch such as that indicated at 8 may be provided for holding the door 7 in closed position and this door will in most cases be provided with spring hinges 9.

The door sections 3 are rigidly secured to vertical rock shafts 10 whose lower ends carry pinions 11 meshing with gears 12, the latter in turn meshing with the teeth of a pair of longitudinal rack bars 13 which are received slidably in channel bars 1% anchored to one of the ties of the-track and extending longitudinally of the latter. Roller bearings 15 are preferably provided for facilitating movement of the rack bars.

Vertical lugs 16 rise from the rack bars 13 and are apertured to receive a pair of longitudinal rods 17 which are adjustably secured thereto by nuts 18, the outer ends of said rods having horizontal arms 19 held adjustably thereon by additional nuts 20. The

, arms 19 extend toward the rails 2 and are adjustably connected by nuts or the like 21 with additional longitudinal rods 22, the outer ends of said rods 22 being pivoted to vertical orank'arms 23 on a pair of transverse rock shafts 2% which extend beneath the rails 2 at longitudinally spaced points.

Each rock shaft 24 is provided with a pair of inclined crank arms 25, the arms of one shaft being inclined oppositely from those of the other and all of said arms being set at approximately to the horizontal.- Links 26 rise from the crank arms 25 and are pivoted to the lower ends of lugs 27 which depend from the ends of a pair of depressible rails 28, said ra1ls being tied together by bridle bars 29. At 30, a pair of swing the door sections 3 open in the direc- I tion in which the car is traveling. This acbers, thus releasing the arms 39.

rail points 31 are loosely connected to the ends of the rails 28, the outei'ends of said points resting on suitable bars or the like 32 and being loosely held in place by suitable fastenings 33. Coiled springs 34 areposi tioned beneath the centers of the rails 28 for normally raising them above-the rails 2, r

and by preference pins 35 depend from said rails through said springs and into sockets 36 formed in one of the ties of the track.

*A'pair of depressible latch members 37 are provided for normally locking the doors 3 in closed position, said members having central notches 38-to receive lateral arms 39 on the lower ends of the shafts 10, when the doors are closed by means of suitable springs 40, said springs being mounted on bolts 41 bearrangement, whenever the operating mechanismofthe door'is actuated by the passage of a car over rails 28,. the several parts will be automatically returned to their initial position'when the car travels from said rails.

. For the purpose of releasing the latch member 37 to permit the door to open. 1ongitudinal rock shafts 44 are mounted be tween the rails 2, one end'of said shafts having crank arms 45 operatively connected with the ends of said members 37, whereas the other ends of said shafts are equipped with additional crank arms 46 received in "forks 47 which depend from the rail points 31. (See more particularly Fig. 4). g

The springs 48 beneath the latch members 37, normally raise said members to opera tive position, but the passage of a car upon "the rail points 31 from either direction, will depress the arms 46 so that the rockshafts 44 are operated to lower said latch mem- As the rails 28 are now depressed, the arms 25 nearest the approaching car, are forced downwardly to the position of Fig. 5, wliereas the other arms will move upwardly to the vertical position shown in this figure. In moving upwardly in thismanner, the last named but-the depressible rails 28 are sutliciently springy to permit this movement without in any manner impairing the operation of the device. I

' Actuation of the crank arms 25 as above described, will so turn the rock shafts 24 as to cause the parts 23, 22, 19, 17,13,12 and 11 to tion will take place whether the car he movingin one direction or the other, and the moment said car leaves the depressible rails,

the several springs above described will return all parts to their'initial position. 7

-From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be obvious that although the device is of comparatively simple and inexpensive construction, itwill be highly efiicient anddurable. Since probably the best results are obtained from the specific details shown and described these details constitute the preferred form of the improved door, but we-wish it understood that within-the-scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may well-be made without sacrificing the pr nci pal advantages,

r Inconclusion, it may be stated that the invention has been in every day use in a coal mine for several months and has been found to operate perfectly under all-conditions encountered. I 7

We claim; 7 r, 1. ,The combination of a door to; extend across a-roadway, a' depressible. member adapted to extendlongitudinally of the roadway, a pair of rock ,shaftsextending transversely beneath the ends of said member, means for operatively connecting 'said shafts to the door for-openingthe-latter in one direction when saidshafts are turned clockwise and for opening it i i-the other di- T rection when said shafts are moved counterclockwise, acrank armon each 'shaft, and

links rising-from said-arms to said depressible member and pivoted to both, said arms being parallel to said depressible member and inclining in difierent directions 2. The combination" of aswinging door adapted to extend across a roadway, a depressible. member beneath; said door and ta'dapted to extend longitudinally of the roadway, a channelbaradaptedto be' anchored at a point spaced outwardly from 'the roadway, said 7 channel 7 bar extending parellel with said depressible member and having one of its side flanges formed'with a longitudinal slot," a rack; bar slidably received insaid channel bar,-operating conincluding a gearextending through said slot I V and meshing with saidrack bar, andoperat arms w ll of course raise one end of the rails ing connections between said rack banand said depressibl member. 1

3. The comb'nation of a swinging' door adaptedto extend across a roadway, a depressible member beneath said door and member spaced outwardly from and parallel with said depressible member, operating connections between said op'eratingmember and 'nectionsbetween said-rack bar and said door the door, arms extending toward said depressible member from the' ends of said op erating member a pair of longitudinalirods to which said arms'are secured, rock shafts extending-transversely beneath said depressibl'e member and operatively associated With the latter and With said rods, additional arms depending from said rods and having longitudinal bolts on their lower ends, slides in which said bolts are slidably received, and springs on said bolts for returning them to their initial positions after shifting thereof.

4. The combination of a swinging door adapted to extend across a roadway, a depressible member extending beneath said door and adapted to extend longitudinally of the roadway, operating connections between said member and said door, a depressible latch member for holding the door in closed position, a rock shaft substantially (topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C, 

